Annual report 2011

The 2011 annual report of the activities of the José Carreras Foundation is now available.  Enter HERE to read about everything we have done throughout 2011.  You can also read it online:

Message from Josep Carreras, President of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Foundation:

Dear friends,

Courage is a human virtue that can be defined as the strength of will that a person possesses to carry out an action in the face of many obstacles. 

In general, 2011 has been a complicated year for our country, and for that reason I wish to draw attention to the true courage of so many people during this period.  Despite the complex situation in society, the José Carreras Foundation has been able to make advances in various projects to help and accompany some very courageous people: the patients of leukaemia. 

Despite the tough times, more than 6,600 people from all over the country have become members of the fight against leukaemia, thus legitimizing our project and providing us with even more strength.  This number is much higher than 2010, therefore, we feel enormously proud that these supportive people are helping us to guarantee the future of our fight.  The new members have provided a fresh dosage of hope and courage to the patients of leukaemia and other haematological malignancies. 

In addition to these collaborators, there were also more than 8,000 people who registered as bone marrow donors during 2011, and 5,500 mothers who donated the umbilical cord of their babies.  Our researchers are working everyday in order to reach the point where leukaemia is a completely curable disease in all cases.  However, without donors, 3 out of 4 patients would currently be left without the opportunity of a cure.  Only 25% of patients who need a transplant have a compatible donor in their family, which is why our REDMO programme has started 879 searches for voluntary donors this year.  Thanks to this work, 476 hematopoietic stem cell transplants (bone marrow, peripheral blood, and umbilical cord blood) from an unrelated donor have been carried out this year in Spain.

If all the donors represent a fundamental pillar in the cure for leukaemia then scientific research is the cornerstone of our battle.  The French writer Victor Hugo once said: “The future has many names: For the weak, it means the unattainable. For the fearful, it means the unknown. For the courageous, it means opportunity”.  At the José Carreras Foundation we think about the future of these courageous patients of leukaemia, and it is for this reason that we created the José Carreras Research Institute against Leukaemia in 2010.  The Institute is pioneering and unique in the world and exclusively dedicated to haematological malignancies.  I am also very satisfied that during 2011, we have made advances in its creation and the first lines of investigation have been started.     

Finally, I would like to send a message of support to all those people who are currently fighting against this disease.  A hero can be someone who triumphs or someone who falls but never gives up the fight.  Courage is a universal value that teaches us to defend what is worthwhile, to control our fears and to overcome adversity.  To all of you, I want to urge you not to be down.  You don’t know how strong you can be until life has put it to the test.  Courage lets ordinary people achieve extraordinary results.  I wish all the best to all these courageous people.

Thank you very much.

Josep Carreras

President

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